illustration inspiration!

Today I have fallen in love with the illustrations of Dimitra Tzanos. His playful style and awesome use of colour just demands your attention and you simply can't help but fall in love with the designs. Wish I owned them all and could hang them up throughout my house ha ha ha!

On his website he has the following to say:
"Born and raised in Johannesburg, I'm of Greek origin and currently live in Athens. I studied Graphic Design in Athens and got my Masters in London but now prefer to call myself an illustrator or even just a drawer...whatever the world understands. But generally I have this obsession with organising and categorising information, eliminating unnecessary details and keeping things simple. Mostly you can see this in my doodles and drawings!"

Below is a series he did based on "5 events that shaped South Africa's wine industry. They too are AWESOME and you have to agree that this is one seriously talented man!

Source: http://creativeroots.org/2011/04/5-events-that-shaped-the-south-african-wine-industry/


Check out more of his work here >> http://www.dimitratzanos.com/

NEW WEBSITE!!

I have finally managed to get my stuff together and design a website where I can upload samples of my work and create a general space to keep all of my inspiration on one page. Please pay it a visit to see what I've been up too! http://ladesigns.typepad.com/ladesigns/

Awesome print advertising campaign

When I came across this ad campaign I just had to pause for a moment due to its pure AWESOMENESS (ha ha ha). The message is simple... bench fix, a line of hairstyling products, offers you a superior hold. The art direction of the shots as well as the concept and execution are just perfect in my opinion! No wonder this campaign received some mad recognition from "Adds of the World" - which I hope every designer has visited at least once!
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/bench_fix_hairstyling_products_gecko

Here is a small glimpse into the brand new little life of our very first little girl whom we've decided to name Anna-marthli (Anna  is her great grandmother and Marthli is her grandmother - hence the name). As every parent will obviously say... WE THINKSHE IS JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE THING! Experiencing the 4D scan is just indescribable and worth every penny it costs. It is so much more personal than your regular gynie visit and seeing your baby with all of her features will rock your entire world so if you're a new mom who's thinking about it and not sure if it's worth the costs all I can say is YOU WON'T BE SORRY!!!!!!

Doesn't she just look so snug inside mom's tummy!

Today's Quote...

Never let success get to your head.
Never let failure get to you heart!

www.yanilavigne.net

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moranga/91023118/

Rams' 10 principles of good design

Dieter Rams (born 20 May 1932)  is a German industrial designer who asks the important question... "Is my design good design"? Rams was concerned by the state of the world around him and realised that as a designer, he was contributing to the "confusion of forms, colours and noises".

http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/who-is-dieter-rams/

"As good design cannot be measured in a finite way he set about expressing the 10 most important principles for what he considered was good design" (Vitsoe, 2010).

RAMS' 10 PRINCIPLES OF GOOD DESIGN

Good design...

...is innovative

Innovation can never be exhausted due to technological advancements!

...makes a product useful

We do not purchase products that we do not need, so a product needs to serve a purpose and fulfil a need for the consumer purchase to occur.

...is aesthetic

Beauty is a by-product of usefulness as its aesthetic quality can have a lasting effect on people.

...makes a product understandable

If something is misunderstood, then it cannot be appreciated.

...is unobtrusive

A product and its design should allow for self-expression by the end-user, they should be able to make it part of them not forced to try and fit in with the product.

...is honest

Honest design does not falsify a product by making promises that the end product cannot keep. With today's technological world, a brand that is dishonest will be instantly exposed and the repercussions are lethal!

...is long-lasting

Many designs are trendy and are therefore dated. Good design shies away from such trends. Designers should write their own trends as apposed to being just another follower!

...is thorough down to the last detail

Nothing should be left to chance as one should admire the aspect of intelligent consumers. People are not stupid and are therefore quick to pick up on even the smallest mistakes!

...is environmentally friendly

Good design should adhere to conservation at all times. What we leave behind is almost more important than what we take!

...is as little designed as possible

We all know the infamous phrase "less is more", but Rams suggests "less, but better" should function within good design. He believes that we should consider simplicity and essential purity!

In conclusion I'll leave you with a quote to think about...

“As designers we have a great responsibility. I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind of thing is only short-lived.” Dieter Rams – interview with Icon Magazine

Inspiring business card designs

I love receiving a business card that make you stop and say "WOW, this is brilliant" and I'll hang onto the card regardless if I'm interested in what it's about or not. Below are some inspiring examples of designers who thought outside of the norms and conceptualized some truly clever, quirky cards!
http://www.boredpanda.com/creative-business-cards-part3/

Yuka Suzuki, hair and make-up artist